Littering, including throwing garbage on the road, in Calcutta can invite fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
The maximum penalty has been stepped up from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh and the minimum fine from Rs 50 to Rs 5,000 through an amendment to the Calcutta Municipal Corporation Act, which was passed in the Bengal Assembly on Thursday.
Sources in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation said littering any place that is not designated as a waste dumping site or a vat by the civic body can activate the penalty.
A CMC official said the amendment was introduced after chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed anguish that many people had spat out betel juice on the Dakshineswar skywalk within 24 hours of its inauguration. The skywalk is not in the CMC area.
The amended Section 338 of the act reads: “Whoever deposits or throws or causes or permits to be deposited or thrown any solid waste on any place in contravention of the provisions of this Act shall… be punishable with fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees and more than one lakh rupees.”
An official said the amendment did not mean a CMC inspector could decide the fine. A notice will be issued and the matter forwarded to the municipal court, which will decide the quantum of the fine.
